Loving vs. Virginia: The Court Case that Married RacesThe Loving vs. Virginia case was a battle raged over the simple act of marriage. Today, laws restricting marriage are a thing of the past: in America, rights and privileges such as this are basic freedoms that are taken for granted. During the Civil Rights Movement, however, laws did exist that prevented the intermarriage of individuals of different races. These laws, known as miscegenation or anti-miscegenation laws, were the source of the Loving couple's argument.
Miscegenation Laws in Virginia:
Laws preventing interracial marriage in Virginia, mostly those important to the Loving vs. Virginia case, were based off of three major sections.
Marriages between races are illegal
Such couples may not leave the state to avoid the laws, marry in a state in which interracial marriage is legal, and return to Virginia as a way of avoiding Virginia law.
Failure to comply with these laws will result in a one to five year jail sentence for those involved.
Loving vs. Virginia: The Case
The Loving vs. Virginia case began when Mildred Jeter, an African-American woman, and Richard Loving, a white man, left their home in Caroline County, Virginia, to be married in Washington, D.C. in 1958, a place without miscegenation laws. After marrying, the couple returned to Virginia and were awoken during the night in 1959 by a policeman, who arrested them for violating Virginia's miscegenation laws. The Lovings went to court for their 'crime,' and were sentenced to a year in jail. However, the judge allowed the couple to agree to leave Virginia for twenty-five years in exchange for a lift on their sentence. They complied but stayed in Washington, D.C. for only five years, after which they quietly moved back to their home in Virginia with their three children. Their case, though, in which the Lovings claimed that miscegenation laws violated the Fourteenth Amendment of the Constitution, traveled through court until it reached the United States Supreme Court.
Mildred Jeter, left, and her husband, Richard Loving
The Fourteenth Amendment:
The Fourteenth Amendment made to the United States Constitution states that all people must be treated equally by laws and that no one shall be deprived of basic liberties. The Lovings argued that miscegenation laws went against this amendment, while the state of Virginia claimed that their miscegenation laws did follow this amendment in that both parties, no matter what race, would be given the same sentence for violating the law.
The Ruling:
On June 12, 1967, the United States Supreme Court ruled that miscegenation laws were unconstitutional. This verdict effectively nullified the miscegenation laws in all sixteen states in which they existed. A large victory for both the Lovings and all racial populations of the United States, the Supreme Court's ruling in the Loving vs. Virginia case was a major step in the gain of rights for people of all races, especially African-Americans.
The Loving vs. Virginia case made headlines in newspapers across the country
Miscegenation Laws in Virginia:
Laws preventing interracial marriage in Virginia, mostly those important to the Loving vs. Virginia case, were based off of three major sections.Loving vs. Virginia: The Case
The Loving vs. Virginia case began when Mildred Jeter, an African-American woman, and Richard Loving, a white man, left their home in Caroline County, Virginia, to be married in Washington, D.C. in 1958, a place without miscegenation laws. After marrying, the couple returned to Virginia and were awoken during the night in 1959 by a policeman, who arrested them for violating Virginia's miscegenation laws. The Lovings went to court for their 'crime,' and were sentenced to a year in jail. However, the judge allowed the couple to agree to leave Virginia for twenty-five years in exchange for a lift on their sentence. They complied but stayed in Washington, D.C. for only five years, after which they quietly moved back to their home in Virginia with their three children. Their case, though, in which the Lovings claimed that miscegenation laws violated the Fourteenth Amendment of the Constitution, traveled through court until it reached the United States Supreme Court.The Fourteenth Amendment:
The Fourteenth Amendment made to the United States Constitution states that all people must be treated equally by laws and that no one shall be deprived of basic liberties. The Lovings argued that miscegenation laws went against this amendment, while the state of Virginia claimed that their miscegenation laws did follow this amendment in that both parties, no matter what race, would be given the same sentence for violating the law.The Ruling:
On June 12, 1967, the United States Supreme Court ruled that miscegenation laws were unconstitutional. This verdict effectively nullified the miscegenation laws in all sixteen states in which they existed. A large victory for both the Lovings and all racial populations of the United States, the Supreme Court's ruling in the Loving vs. Virginia case was a major step in the gain of rights for people of all races, especially African-Americans.
Case Timeline:
Further reading:
To see a map detailing the dates miscegenation laws were repealed by state, please see
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SSg4viPzzAo/T0FI3H_LeEI/AAAAAAAAAT4/DxiCmvHIKM0/s1600/anti-miscegenation+laws+map.jpg
To hear a recording of the Lovings' attorney, Bernard Cohen, argue their case in the Supreme Court, follow the link below:
http://www.npr.org/player/v2/mediaPlayer.html?action=1&t=1&islist=false&id=10889047&m=10889048
For an article with quotes from Mildred Jeter herself about the incident, please go tohttp://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=3277875